Age Is Just A Number
by Piper Elizabeth
Summary: What happens after Mark comes back from Los Angeles? What will Lexie do when he tells her his true feelings? Mark/Lexie
1. Chapter 1 Don't You Want A Family

**Title:** Age Is Just A Number

**Disclaimer:** Grey's Anatomy and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement.

**Summary:** What happens after Mark comes back from Los Angeles? What will Lexie do when he tells her his true feelings? Mark/Lexie

**Spoilers:** All episodes through 6x11, Blink

**Chapter 1 – "Don't you want a family?"**

Mark sat in the back of the taxi, his eyes staring straight ahead. The taxi driver was talking about the weather or something that Mark didn't care about, so he ignored him. Mark couldn't clear his mind enough to think about the weather. All he could think about were the events of the previous days. It was like a list of what not to do in life. First, he found out that his teenager daughter, who he had just met weeks before, was having a baby that was in danger of losing his legs. Second, he stopped a surgery that would have helped the baby, but could kill his daughter. Third, he made a selfish decision and lost Lexie, which was the hardest thing he had ever done. Fourth, because he lost Lexie, he slept with Addison and suggested that he move his entire life to be with Addison to raise the baby. Fifth, he almost lost his daughter and the grandchild he wasn't sure he was ready for. Sixth, after finding out that his daughter and grandchild were going to be fine, he broke Addison's heart by telling her he didn't really want her. Yes, it was a very bad, very long list. And, the worst part was, at the end of it all, he was alone.

Completely and utterly alone.

He had no one. Not Sloan. Not Addison. Not a tiny baby to hold in his arms. And most importantly, he didn't have Lexie. He had lost Lexie. That was the part he just couldn't deal with.

"Sir? Sir?" The taxi driver called out, pulling Mark out of his depressive thoughts. "We're here."

Mark looked out the window and saw his apartment building in front of them. He watched the meter on the taxi go up another twenty cents as they sat there. He should go home. He hadn't been home in days, but he knew that his home would be empty and that depressed him anymore. He realized he had three choices. He could go in and see if Callie was home and complain to her about everything that happened. He could go home and suck down the bottle of vodka that he knew was in the freezer and drink himself until he was unconscious. Or he could go to a bar and go home with a random stranger. As Mark stared at the apartment complex, he realized he didn't want to do any of those things. None of the choices would give him what he wanted. He wanted her. She had changed him. She had made it so that he didn't want to go home and get drunk or have sex with random strangers. She had made him want her. To Mark, that was a scary thought.

"Sir?"

"I've changed my mind."

"Excuse me?"

"I want to go to 49 Baker Street," Mark stated.

"It's your dollar," the driver said as he pulled away from the curb.

Mark settled against the back of the seat, counting down the minutes until he would see her again.

*****

Mark stood on the doorstep. He knew she was in there. He knew it was the only place she would go. He knocked on the door and waited, holding his breath. The door opened seconds later. Derek stood in front of him.

"Mark."

"Is Lexie here?" Mark asked, pushing past Derek and into the hallway.

"She's still at the hospital," Derek answered, closing the door behind him. Derek knew right away that something was wrong. He could see it in Mark's eyes.

"So she is staying here?" Mark questioned. It hurt him to think that she had moved out while he was gone.

"She said that it would be temporary," Derek explained. Mark was hopeful. Maybe temporary meant that she was missing him as much as Mark was missing her and that she'd want to come home. "She said she would start looking for a new place."

Mark's glimmer of hope disappeared. He glanced down at his watch. "Her shift was over two hours ago."

"You memorized her schedule?"

Mark turned to leave. If she was at the hospital, he would go to the hospital.

"How's Sloan?" Derek asked.

Mark stopped in his tracks and turned back around to face his best friend. He had almost forgotten why he had gone to Los Angeles in the first place. He had gone to help his daughter.

"She's fine," Mark answered.

"And the baby?"

"Fine."

"How about you?"

Mark opened his mouth, ready to tell Derek that he was fine, but then he realized who he was talking to. Mark and Derek had their problems and their differences, but they were still friends and if Mark couldn't have Lexie at that moment, he needed a friend.

"I made a mistake."

"Besides breaking up with Lexie?"

"Yeah, besides breaking up with Lexie. What did she tell you?"

Derek shrugged. "She said you wanted to help Sloan raise the baby and that she wasn't ready for that responsibility so she broke up with you."

"That about sums it up." Mark paused and looked around. "Do you have any boos?"

"You don't need alcohol, Mark," Derek replied. "So, back to this mistake you said you made…"

"I slept with Addison."

Derek was taken aback. He didn't know what to say. He was surprised, but he didn't know why. Mark and Addison were like magnets that couldn't stay away from each other even though it wasn't in either of their best interests.

"Are you going to tell Lexie?"

Mark ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. But I do know I need to see her."

"She had a late surgery, but she should be home any minute." Derek paused. Meredith had given him strict instructions not to get involved with what happened between Mark and Lexie, but he couldn't help it. Mark was his best friend and he had never seen him look at another woman the way he looked at Lexie. "She's staying up in her old room."

"The attic?"

"It's the only space we have right now."

"Don't you have like two extra bedrooms?"

"It's a long story."

Mark shook his head. He never could understand the revolving doors of people who lived in Meredith's house.

"I'll wait upstairs for her."

Mark wanted to go to the hospital to find her, but he knew that wasn't the place to talk to her. He didn't want to open his heart up to her in the middle of the hospital hallway or in an on call room. He headed up the stairs to the familiar attic. He hadn't been up there in a long time, but it hadn't changed. There was just less stuff in it. Mark realized that most of Lexie's things were probably still in his apartment. In a small way, that gave him hope.

Mark was about to take a seat on the bed and wait for Lexie when he saw a picture frame face down on the bureau. Mark walked over to it and picked it up. It was a picture of them together from Joe's bar. Mark's arm was around Lexie's shoulder and they were both smiling as if they were the two happiest people in the world. Mark loved that picture. He continued to stare at it when he heard the door open.

Lexie walked through the door, but didn't see him. Mark realized he was hidden in the shadows and that's where he stayed. Mark took a moment to look at her. She looked miserable. She seemed paler than usual and her eyes were red and puffy. It looked like she had been crying and hadn't slept well in days. Mark was about to open his mouth and announce his presence when Lexie took off her shirt. She balled it up and threw it on the floor angrily. She didn't care about her shirt or anything else for that matter. She just wanted to go to bed and sleep and never wake up until she could make it through a day without thinking about him.

The next thing to go was Lexie's tank top. Mark quietly watched her, unable to take his eyes off of her.

"You look beautiful," Mark said, stepping out of the shadows.

Lexie jumped.

"Goddamn it!" She shouted.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he replied.

Lexie reached for her T-Shirt on the ground and covered herself up with it.

"Why are you lurking in the shadows watching me undress?"

"It's not like I haven's seen it all before." He was trying to joke with her, but she just rolled her eyes. "Sorry."

"How did you get up here?"

"Derek let me in," he answered.

"When did you get in?" Lexie asked, averting her eyes away from him. She pulled the shirt over her head.

"Just now." His answers were short as he tried to compose his thoughts. He hadn't really taken the time to think about what he was going to say to her once he finally found her. Now, he was out of time.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…I wanted to talk to you."

"You could have called."

"I know, I'm sorry. I had to see you."

"How's Sloan?" Lexie asked. She was trying to steer the conversation away from her. Talking about something else made it easier to talk to him. "Was Addison able to do the surgery?"

Mark nodded. "There were some complications, but both she and the baby are going to be fine."

"That's good."

They were both silent. Mark had so many things he wanted to say, but somehow he couldn't form the words. Lexie, on the other hand, was having difficulty blinking away her tears. She had broken up with him, but it hadn't made it any easier. The fact that she had slept with Alex as a way to cope with the break-up wasn't making it any easier. She felt guilty and scared and alone all at the same time. Seeing Mark wasn't helping.

"Lexie, I…" Mark began, breaking the silence.

"What are you really doing here?" Lexie asked, finally meeting his eyes.

He took a deep breath, ready to tell her the truth. "I want you back."

Lexie looked down at the ground. Those had been the words she had been longing to hear, but hearing them didn't make anything better. It only made it harder.

"Mark…"

"Just hear me out…"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no. Look, you made a choice. You chose her and…and at first I was angry, but she's your child and I can't be angry about you choosing your child over me. I respect you and your choice and what you're doing, I really do, but I can't do it with you. I can't be a mother or a grandmother or whatever it is that you want me to be. I love you, but I can't."

"I don't want you to be a mother or a grandmother or whatever to my kid's kid."

"So…what? Sloan and the baby are going to move into your apartment…"

"Our apartment," he corrected.

"Your apartment," she continued, "and I'm just supposed to ignore them? I'm supposed to look the other way when the baby needs his diaper changed or when he's screaming at two AM? It won't work, Mark. And if we try it, if we're so blinded by our feelings to think that our relationship will work with a baby and a teenager in the mix, all that will happen is that we'll end up hating or resenting each other."  
"I could never hate you."

She ignored him. "I won't do that. I won't put ourselves in that situation. The best thing we can do is split amicably and go on with our lives."

"Do you want to split up?"

"Mark…"

"If it weren't for Sloan and the baby, would we have broken up?"

Lexie sighed. The obvious answer was no. They had been a perfectly happy couple. They enjoyed each other's company, made each other laugh, and the sex…the sex was unbelievable.

"I don't know what would have happened if Sloan hadn't walked into the ER that day, but the bottom line is she did and we can't just pretend she didn't. She's a part of your life now. And considering she's living with you and will soon have a baby who will also be living with you, she's a very big part of your life."

"There won't be a baby living with me."

"What? Did something happen? You said the surgery went well…"

Mark put up his hand, stopping her before she continued rambling. "The baby is fine."

"Then what…"

"Sloan's decided to put him up for adoption."

"Oh." They both paused. Mark still hadn't really come to terms with Sloan's decision. "Are you ok what that?"

Mark sighed. "It's her decision."

"But are you ok?"

Mark didn't know how to answer. It would be easy to say that he was fine with the decision, but he couldn't lie to Lexie.

"I never thought I wanted a baby. And then…years ago when…"

"When Addison got pregnant?"

Mark nodded. It still pained him to think about the baby he never had.

"I started thinking that maybe I would like to be a father. But then she had the abortion and the thought of being a father just never occurred to me again after that. And then Sloan finds me and it turns out that I've been a father all along and then when I found out she was having a baby, I thought, this is my chance. This is my chance to be a father. I was so all consumed with that thought, I let everything else go. I didn't stop to think how it would change my life and the lives of everyone I cared about. And I didn't stop to think that this baby wouldn't be mine. Sure, I could help raise it and I could be there for it, but this baby wouldn't be mind. So, am I thrilled with the fact that she's giving her baby up for adoption? No. But maybe it's the best thing for everyone involved."

"I know this must be hard for you, but you'll still have Sloan. You can still be a father. You'll just be a father to a really obnoxious teenager."

He smiled. "She's going back to live with her mother."

"What?"

"I put her on a plane this morning. She realized that she wanted her mom more than she wanted me."

"Oh Mark. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Being with her mom is what's best for her…and me." He took a deep breath. "You said you still loved me. If that's true, come home, Lexie."

She shook her head. "It's not that easy."

"Why? Why can't it be that easy?"

"Because there's more to it than that."

"What more could there be? Without Sloan, everything can go back to normal."

"No, it can't."

"Why?"

"Because you can't just turn back time."

He obviously wasn't getting anywhere so he decided to change his tactic. If he wanted her back, he was going to have to admit everything he had ever felt for her.

"We're good together, Lexie. We're better than good. You…you changed me. You made me want to be better. A better doctor, a better lover, a better man. I've never felt this way before. I never thought I was the type of guy to settle down and want to be with just one woman and want a family, but I want to grow old with you, Lexie. I want to start a family with you."

"This is exactly what I mean," she replied, ready to cry. She wanted to go home with him. She wanted to get back together, but she knew that wouldn't solve anything.

"What is? Don't you want a family?"

"Of course I do, Mark, but…"

"But what?"

"But you want a family now. You're ready to start a family. You have your perfect career and now you want that perfect life to go with it. And I understand that, I do, but I'm not there yet. I'm still creating that perfect career. I'm not ready for a family."

"Then I'll wait. What do you need? A year? Two years?"

"You can't just put a timeline on it. I can't say that in two years I'm going to be ready to have a baby with you. I just can't. We're at two different stages in our lives."

"So?"

"So…if we get back together, how long will it be before this comes up again? How long will it be before you are tired of waiting for me to want a baby? Then we'll be right back where we started. And that's not fair to either of us. If you want a baby, if you want a family, you're going to have to find someone who wants the same things at the same time."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying for the first time since we started this relationship that our ages are working against us. We had fun, Mark, but this won't last. And it's unfair to think that it will. I think we both just need to move on."

"Is that what you want?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Well, then I guess there's nothing else to say," Mark said. It wasn't exactly what he had in mind. Somehow he had envision himself waltzing in and sweeping her off her feet, but that's not what happened and he was going to have to live with the fact that he had possibly made the biggest mistake in his life.

Mark turned to leave the room.

"I'm sorry," Lexie said barely above a whisper.

"Me too," Mark replied before leaving the room.

Author's Note:

Ok, so this story is certainly not the best story I've ever written, nor is it my favorite story I've ever written, but this is a story that I felt like I had to write. After watching last week's episode, I was so torn up over what was happening between Mark and Lexie that I just had to get my thoughts down on paper. So, I hope you liked it and there will be more chapters so stay tuned! Thank you for reading and please don't forget to review!


	2. Chapter 2 Fine

**Chapter 2 – "Fine"**

One Week Later

Lexie absentmindedly scrubbed her hands. She was staring straight ahead, unblinking. The water was so hot that it nearly scolded her hands, but she didn't feel it. She felt completely numb. It was like her body was in shock ever since Mark chose Sloan over her. Sure, she was going through the motions of every day life. She showed up to work on time and smiled when people made jokes, but inside she was hallow and it wasn't just because Mark had left her. She still hadn't been able to forgive herself for the terrible mistake that she made. She was sure that Mark would never be able to forgive her, either.

A week earlier, when Lexie had gone home and found Mark in her attic bedroom, she had nearly fallen to her knees and begged him to take her back, but she had stood her ground. She had spent every night since then, lying awake in bed wondering if she was making the right choice. As she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, she considered agreeing to have a baby to make him happy, but she knew she would regret it the rest of her life. She wanted to be a surgeon, a good surgeon, and it wasn't fair to her, Mark, or the hypothetical baby if she gave that all up.

"Lexie?"

Startled, Lexie whirled around. Water flew everywhere. Her eyes fell on Mark's.

"You scared me," she said.

"Sorry."

She reluctantly ripped her eyes away from his and turned back to the sink. As she ran her soapy hands under the water, she realized just how hot the water was. She nearly yelped as the water burned her skin. Using her elbow, she quickly lowered the hot water and continued the important task of washing her hands.

"I'm just about to go into surgery," Lexie explained.

"Yeah, I can see that."

He watched her from behind diligently washing her hands. It was a task every surgeon completed countless times a day, but watching her do it was incredibly sexy.

"Did you want something?" Lexie asked without looking at him. She could sense him watching her. Although usually she loved it when he watched her, she felt uneasy.

"I just wanted to let you know that there are still a few things left in the apartment. I could bring them by Derek's later on."

"I can pick them up," she replied quietly.

"I'll bring them over."

"No, it's fine. I can just pick them up tomorrow."

He should have just left it at that, but he couldn't. "Or you could leave them and just come home," he stated boldly. He had told himself that he wouldn't ask her to come back. His intentions really had been to talk to her about getting her things out of the apartment, but those weren't his intentions anymore.

Lexie turned off the water with her elbow. She turned back to Mark. He was going to have to stop enticing her to come back.

"Mark…"

"Lexie, I love you."

"Please don't."

"And I'm willing to give up wanting a child to be with you."

"You make it sound so simple."

"It is."

"No, it's not. You want a baby. That's not going to change."

"I don't want a baby anymore."

"Don't say things you don't mean."

"I do mean it."

"You might think you mean it right now in this moment. But in a month, in six months, in a year…you won't mean it anymore, Mark and what then? What happens when you decide you want a baby again and I'm still not ready?" They were both silent. "I have to go."

He reached out and grabbed her arm. She spun around to face him. She was so close to him, she could feel his heat. She could smell that familiar scent. It was intoxicating.

"Stay with me," he whispered.

"Mark…"

"Please…"

He pulled her closer. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to feel his arms around her. She wanted to melt into him like she did so many times before, but she had to fair to him. She had to be open with him.

"I slept with someone," she blurted out.

Mark let her go and took a step back. His body went into shock. That wasn't what he had expected.

"What?"

"It was after we had broken up. I was angry and I was hurting and I was a little bit drunk and…it just happened."

"It just happened?"

She saw the hurt in his eyes. She knew she deserved it, but she also knew that he was the one who made the choice between her and his daughter. He was the one who had forced their relationship to end. She hadn't done anything wrong, but that didn't make her feel any better. She still felt like crap.

"We had broken up."

"So that makes it ok?"

He didn't know why he was being so harsh on her. Hadn't he done the exact same thing? Hadn't he found comfort for his broken heart in Addison?

"I thought you would be coming back with a teenager daughter with a baby on the way. I didn't expect you to come back and want to get back together."

"Who was he?"

"What?"

"Who was he? Who did you sleep with?"

"What difference does it make?"

"It makes a difference." He was seething with anger. He wanted to kill whoever had made love to the woman he loved.

"It doesn't matter."

"Was it some guy from a bar? Or was it someone from the hospital? God, was it someone we knew?"

"I'm not…"

"Tell me!" He shouted.

"Alex!" She yelled back. She was tired of keeping it bottled up inside.

"Alex? Alex Karev?"

"It didn't mean anything. It was just one night."

"One night…with Alex Karev. You could have chosen anyone, and you chose Alex?"

"I didn't choose Alex. It just happened. He was…convenient."

"He was convenient? That's your excuse?"

"I don't need an excuse! We broke up!"

"How long did you wait after we broke up? Was it an hour or did you at least give it two?"

The words stung like he had slapped her across the face.

"You chose her! You chose her over me!" She screamed.

Mark knew she was right. He knew he was being irrational. She had the right to do whatever she wanted, but it still hurt. It hurt like nothing had ever hurt him before. It hurt more than when Addison had told him she had had an abortion and more than when she walked out the door to go back to Derek and he knew why. He had never been in love with Addison. He had never been in love with anyone until he found Lexie.

"I'm going to kill him," he said through gritted teeth.

Mark turned to walk out of the scrub room, but Lexie pulled him back.

"Don't," she said sternly.

"You said you were drunk. He took advantage of you! Did he even know we broke up or did he just jump in your pants the moment he saw you were wasted?!"

"He did not take advantage of me! I was not drunk! We were both willing participants!"

"Willing participants?" Mark asked with anger dripping from every word. He glared at her, not knowing what to say. He was torn between running away and wrapping his arms around her. He could see in her eyes that she wasn't proud of what she had done and he had to remind himself that he was the reason she had done it.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm down before she said something she would regret.

"You can blame me all you want, but leave Alex out of this."

A nurse popped her head into the room.

"Dr. Grey, they're waiting for you."

"I'll be right there," Lexie responded.

The nurse disappeared. Lexie knew she should say something, but she didn't know what.

"Well, I guess that's it then," Mark said.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I'll bring your stuff to Derek's," Mark said as if he remembered why he had gone to find Lexie in the first place.

"Don't bother. I'll pick it up."

"I'll bring the boxes."

"I said I'd pick them up."

Mark threw his hands up in the air. "Fine!"

"Fine!" Lexie shouted.

Mark stormed out of the door, his hands clenched. Lexie gripped the sink until her knuckles turned white. It was the only thing keeping her standing. If she let go, she was afraid she would fall to the floor.

"Doctor…" the nurse said again as she entered the room.

"I said I'll be right there," Lexie nearly shouted. With a huff, the nurse left. Lexie closed her eyes, willing herself to compose herself. She needed to concentrate on the surgery at hand. But first, she had to wash her hands…again.

As Lexe finished washing her hands for the second time, she walked in the OR. One of the nurses handed her a towel and she dried her hands before the nurse helped her into her gloves.

"Thanks for joining us, Grey," Callie said as she picked up a scalpel.

"Sorry," Lexie apologized. As the nurse slipped one her surgical mask, Lexie walked over to the patient. She stood beside Callie. Alex was standing across from her. He winked at her and Lexie looked away.

"Ok, here we go," Callie said as she began to cut into the patient's knee.

"Trouble in paradise?" Alex asked with his usual swarthiness. He hadn't heard what Lexie and Mark were shouting about, but he had heard that they were shouting.

"Shut up," Lexie replied. "And stay away from Mark."

"Excuse me?"

"Stay away from Mark."

"Why?"

"Let's just say you're not high on his list of favorite people right now," Lexie replied, trying her hardest to concentrate on the surgery at hand.

"You told him about us?"

"It sort of…slipped out."

Callie looked from Lexie to Alex and shook her head. She was grateful she was finally in a healthy long-term relationship. She was tired of the drama.

"So that's what the fight was about?"

"That's none of your business."

"Yeah well, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can."

"You know, he has no right to be angry with you."

"This really isn't any of your business," Lexie stated. She didn't need the whole OR to know that she had broken up with one doctor and then jumped into bed with another.

"Besides, he probably isn't all that innocent."

Lexie was about to tell him to shut up, when she thought about what he said.

"What do you mean?"

"He went to LA."

"So?"

"To see Addison Montgomery."

"So?"

"So Sloan doesn't travel all the way to LA to see Addison Montgomery and not sleep with her."

Lexie looked up at him, almost dropping the clamp in her hand.

"Grey!" Callie shouted.

"Sorry," Lexie exclaimed, putting the clamp back into place.

"No more talking!" Called ordered. "We're replacing a knee here! Focus!"

Lexie tried her hardest to force herself to focus, but she couldn't. Alex's comment kept floating around in her head. Did something happen between Mark and Addison?

Author's Note: Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! I wrote this story simply because I just couldn't stand the way the last episode and I'm glad that I've been able to share it with others who feel the same way. Thank you for reading and don't worry, there will be more!


	3. Chapter 3 Don't

**Chapter 3 – "Don't!"**

Lexie was fuming. Her body felt so hot she was sure she was going to burst into flames. She couldn't get the image of Mark with Addison out of her head.

Lexie stormed through the corridor, ignoring everyone and everything that went on around her. The four hour surgery had been a killer. She had barely been able to concentrate and she was pretty sure that Callie was going to ask her to leave the OR more than once. She hated that her work was suffering because of him.

"Hey, Lex, did you…" Meredith said a she fell into step next to Lexie.

"Not now," Lexie muttered.

She continued to walk briskly. She was on a mission. A mission to confront him.

"What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Mark?"

Meredith put her hand on Lexie's arm, stopping her.

"Lexie, what happened?"

"Have you seen him or not?" Lexie snapped.

Meredith looked over Lexie's shoulder and pointed. Mark was just a few yards behind them, heading into one of the supply rooms.

"Lexie!" Meredith called as Lexie raced down the hall. She stopped in front of the door he had disappeared behind. She realized that what she was about to do was probably going to hurt more than anything else ever had. Lexie reached for the door handle and pushed.

Mark looked up as soon as he heard the door open. He put down the roll of gauze in his hand when he saw Lexie.

"With all these budget cuts, the suture rooms aren't getting restocked properly," Mark stated, trying to make light conversation. He did not want to have another blowout like they did in the scrub room.

"Did you sleep with Addison?"

"What?"

"It's a simple question. Did you sleep with Addison or not?"

He took a step closer to her, but she stepped back. She didn't need him to answer. She knew just by the reaction on his face that Alex had been right. He had slept with Addison.

"You son of a bitch!"

He knew he deserved it. Hell, he knew he deserved more than that, but he wasn't about to show it.

"So now I'm a son of a bitch?"

She reached for the closest thing she could find on the shelf next to her and hurled it at. Luckily, it was just an ace bandage. It bounced off his chest.

"Jesus, Lexie!" He yelled, backing up.

"I can't believe you!"

She picked up another ace bandage and threw it. This time she missed him completely. She was blinded by rage and the tears that had formed in her eyes.

"What can't you believe? You said it yourself, we had broken up!"

"Was that the first time?"

"What?"

"Was that the first time you slept with her since we've been together?"

"Do you honestly think I cheated on you?"

Lexie shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past you."

"I have never cheated on you and I never would! I only slept with her because you broke up with me. You broke up with me!"

"This isn't about cheating! This is about lying!"

"Lying? Lying about what?"

"I tell you that I slept with someone and you just stood there! You didn't have the common decency to tell me that you did the same thing! You made me feel dirty and wrong and…and…like this was all my fault because I slept with Alex, but you…you slept with her! You want to get back together, but then you conveniently leave out that you slept with another woman! And not just another woman, but a woman you were once in love with!"

"I was never in love with her," Mark responded.

Lexie put up her hand. "Don't!" She wiped the tears away from her eyes. She was not going to let him see her cry.

He sighed. "You're right. I should have told you, but…"

She wasn't listening to him. Her mind was reeling. There was only one thought on her mind. "How?"

"Excuse me?"

"How did it happen?"

"What do you mean how did it happen? It just happened. It happened and it was a mistake and I'm sorry."

"No! You don't get off that easy. I want to know how. You wanted to know who and I want to know how. Were you drunk or was it just that old habits die hard?"

"I was hurting. Just like you. I needed someone. Addison was there."

"So it was a one-time thing?" He looked down at the floor. "How many times?"

"Lexie…"

"Twice? Three times? Ten times?"

"It was a few times."

"A few? And you expect me to believe that it was a mistake? One time is a mistake, Mark. A few times is way beyond a mistake."

"It was a mistake."

"And when did you figure that out?"

"When I realized that I didn't want her. I thought that Addison could solve everything. I thought that she could help me with Sloan and the baby. I thought we could make the life together that we never had the chance to make. But I didn't want that life. I didn't want that life with her because she's not the one I care about. She's not the one I love."

"Love? You throw that word around like it's supposed to fix everything! Well, guess what? It doesn't!"

"I am in love with you," he said, emphasizing the word 'am.' He needed to get her to understand how he felt.

"Stop saying that!"

"Lexie…"

"How many times did you tell me you loved me before this happened?"

"What?"

"Think about it. How many times did you say to me, 'Lexie, I love you' before Sloan came along?" Mark stopped and thought. "Not once."

"That's not true. I must have said it before. I…"

"No! You never did. You never told me you loved me and I just accepted that because I'm stupid and I'm naïve and I thought he doesn't need to say it. I know how he feels so it's ok if he doesn't say it. But you know what? I was wrong."

"I've always loved you."

"Have you?"

"Of course."

"Then why didn't you ever say?"

"Maybe…maybe I was too stupid to realize what was in front of me."

"That's not good enough!"

"Or maybe I was too scared. Maybe I was too scared of facing the fact that I was in love with you because I've never felt this way before. Lexie, I love you and I will spend the rest of my life making up for not telling you enough.'

"It's too late."

"Lexie, please…"

"I said it's too late!"

"What do you want me to say? I made a mistake. I am sorry for not telling you about Addison. I am sorry for sleeping with her. I am sorry for choosing Sloan over you. I am sorry for not telling you I loved you from the moment I met you. I'm sorry, Lexie. I don't know what else to say." They were both silent. They were both incredibly angry at each other, but mostly at themselves. "We can't keep doing this. We can't keep going back and forth. We were both wrong. We both made mistakes."

"You're right," she said.

"I do love you," he replied.

"Sometimes love isn't enough."

She turned around and left before he even knew what happened.

*****

Lexie rummaged through the packed closet, trying to find a sweater, coat, blanket, or any other thing that might keep her warm. As she pushed the clothes aside to look in the back of the closet, a silk blouse fell off its hanger and onto the floor.

"Damn it!" Lexie shouted loudly. She picked up the shirt and slipped it back onto the hanger. As she moved deeper into the closet, she bumped into the hanger and the shirt fell off again. "Seriously?!" Lexie ripped the hanger off the closet rod and threw it across the room.

"Are the hangers picking a fight with you again?" Meredith asked from the doorway.

Lexie practically jumped out of the closet. She hadn't expected to get caught.

"Meredith. I'm sorry, I know…I know this looks bad. I know I should have asked, but you weren't home and Derek wasn't home and…and the attic is absolutely freezing because the heat isn't working and Derek said he'd take a look but he's always busy and I don't want to bother him since you're both nice enough to let me live here temporarily for free anyway…and since most of my clothes are still at Mark's, I have nothing warm to wear and I'm freezing and I just needed a sweater or…"

"Lexie," Meredith said, stopping her. She walked over to the closet and pulled out a sweatshirt. "You can borrow whatever you want." She handed it over to Lexie.

"Thanks." Lexie pulled the sweatshirt over her head and wrapped her arms around her body.

"I'll remind Derek about the heat."

Lexie shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I've been looking at some places. I should be out soon."

"Lexie, you can't afford to move out," Meredith stated. She sat down on the bed. Lexie sat down beside her.

"I'll figure something out."

"I know this is none of my business, but you and Mark can't work this out?"

Lexie shook her head. "He slept with Addison."

"And you slept with Alex. You both did something you regret."

"Yeah, but he lied about it."

"Is that really what's keeping you two apart?"

"He wants a baby."

"Is that so bad?" Lexie looked at her like she had two heads. "Right, I forgot, we're Grey's. We run from men who want to have futures with us."

Lexie managed a small smile. "I'm not ready. I want a family, but not right now. Mark's reached a point in his life where he's ready to settle down and I…I'm not."

"Who knew that the phrase 'settle down' and Mark would ever be used in the same sentence."

"You know, people always asked me if the age difference between us ever mattered to me and it never did. Now, it seems to be the only thing that matters.

"Age is just a number, Lexie," Meredith said.

"Yeah, a very important number."

"Maybe you're not ready for a baby, but are you ready to lose him?"

*****

Mark stared at the shot glass in front of him. He picked it up, swirled the clear liquid around, and then placed it back down on the bar again.

"Can I get you something else?" Joe asked, eying the shot glass.

Mark shook his head. Joe eyed him strangely before walking away to serve another customer. Mark picked up the glass again. This time he brought it up to his nose and smelled it. The smell was tempting, very tempting.

"How many have you had?" Derek asked, sitting down on the stool next to Mark.

"Counting this one?" Mark replied, putting the glass down. "None."

"None?"

"None," Mark answered.

"You feeling ok?"

"After losing my girlfriend, screwing over my ex-girlfriend who also happens to be your ex-wife, and losing my daughter and grandchild, I guess I'm doing as ok as can be expected."

"Are you sure you're not drunk?"

Mark pushed his drink in front of Derek. He didn't take it.

"If you want her back, tell her."

"Don't you think I've tried that already?"

"And what does she say?"

"She hates me for lying to her about Addison and I can't stop thinking about the fact that she slept with Karev. Karev. I mean, what was she thinking?"

"You left and he was there for her."

"Don't defend her."

"Sorry." Derek considered downing the drink that Mark had pushed in front of him, but he realized it wouldn't help either of them if they were drunk. "This has to be about more than just Lexie sleeping with Alex and you lying about Addison."

Mark nodded, eying the drink. "She thinks I want a baby."

"Do you?"

Mark didn't know how to answer. He had thought about it over and over. Was Lexie right? Did he want a baby? Was he ready to be a father and not just a father to a daughter who was already grown? And was he ready to give up what he and Lexie had to have the baby with somebody else?

"I think I do," Mark answered.

"And Lexie doesn't?"

"Not right now. She wants to focus on having a career, not a family."

"Isn't that what you wanted when you were twenty-five?"

Mark shrugged. "I've always ignored all the remarks people would make when they saw Lexie and I together. All the jokes about me being an old man or a cradle robber or whatever…I never let it bother me. But now I get it. Even the best relationship I've ever had…the best sex I've ever had…none of that matters because of age. She's too young and I'm too old and it's just never going to work out."

"Age is just a number," Derek said.

"Apparently not when it comes to relationships," Mark replied. Finally giving in to his instincts, he grabbed the glass and tipped it into his mouth. The cool liquid slid down his throat. It didn't make him feel any better.

Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I don't have much else to say except to comment on last night's episode (so, if you haven't seen it, I would quit reading now). I was incredibly unhappy with the ending of last night's episode so much so that it really left me in a bad mood all day today. But, working on this chapter (and the last chapter) has really lifted my spirits. I only hope the writers can realize what we all know – Mark and Lexie belong together! (So I'm a little obsessed, but that's ok.) Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4 Age Is Just A Number, Baby

**Chapter 4 – "Age is just a number, baby."**

Lexie pulled out her keys from her purse. She sifted through the few keys on her key ring before she found the one she was looking for. She was about to put it in the lock when she stopped. She had no right to use the key. It was no longer 'their' apartment. It was his. If she knew he wasn't home, she would have used the key, gathered the rest of her things quietly, and left without him even knowing it, but he most likely was home. Lexie had tried to make her way over to the apartment during her lunch break when she knew he was in surgery, but her hour long lunch break turned into a two minute lunch break when one of her patients coded and had to be rushed into surgery. She had worked through her lunch and several hours beyond the end of her shift so she never quite got the chance to get to the apartment when Mark wasn't home. So much for sneaking in quietly. Lexie knew Mark had left the hospital hours before her. There was no way she would be able to avoid him now, but she had to get her things. She was tired of borrowing Meredith's clothes and she had told Mark the day before that she would pick them up. Lexie knew she was just going to have to suck it up and deal with the confrontation.

As she raised her hand to knock on the door, a thought occurred to her. Maybe he wasn't home. Sure, he had left work, but that didn't mean that he had gone right home. Maybe Lexie would be able to avoid the confrontation after all. She went to put her key in the lock again when another thought popped into her mind and it didn't settle well wither her. Maybe Mark was home and maybe he wasn't alone. Maybe he had a woman in his bed, in their bed. The thought made Lexie shiver. She stared at the closed door. She didn't know what to do. Knock on the door? Use her key? Run away? She definitely liked the latter. She would just come back another time when she knew Mark was working. She turned to leave when the door opened.

"Lexie?"

Lexie stopped dead in her tracks. She took a deep breath and turned around. Mark was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his naked chest. All he was wearing was a pair of drawstring lounge pants.

"I…I…" She couldn't think, not when all she could see was his gorgeous pecks and abs.

"Did you come for your stuff?" She nodded. "I could have dropped it off."

"It's fine," she replied, finally finding her words. "I'm here now." They both stood in the doorway, staring at each other. Neither one of them moved. "Were you just…waiting for me?"

"What?"

"How did you know I was standing out here?"

Mark pointed over Lexie's shoulder. A man holding a pizza walked up to them.

"Mr. Sloan?" The man asked.

"Dr. Sloan," Mark corrected. He took the pizza. "She'll pay." He winked at Lexie before disappearing into the apartment with the pizza. Lexie looked through the open door, unsure exactly what happened.

"That's 12.95," the pizza delivery guy said.

Lexie glanced over at him and shook her head. She dug through her purse and grabbed fifteen dollars. She practically through the money at the delivery man before heading into the apartment and slamming the door.

"Want some pizza?" Mark asked with his mouth full.

"That wasn't funny," she replied.

"But I got your favorite."

Mark picked up the slice he was eating and showed it to Lexie. It was her favorite.

"But you don't even like pineapple pizza," she said.

He shrugged. "It reminded me of you."

Lexie didn't know what to think or say. "I'm just here for my stuff," she said angrily.

Mark immediately knew he made a mistake. He didn't know why he was acting so cocky and insensitive. This wasn't easy for either of them.

"Lexie…I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I'll pay for the pizza."

"I'm just here for my stuff."

Lexie headed into the bedroom. She opened the closet and noticed that nothing was different. Mark hadn't moved anything. It was a strangely comforting thought. Lexie pulled her suitcase out of the back of the closet. She put it on the unmade bed and opened it. Sighing, Lexie started pulling her clothes off their hangers.

From where he sat at the kitchen table, Mark could see Lexie through the doorway. She began pulling her things out of the closet quickly and throwing them on the bed, not caring whether they landed in the suitcase or not. As she made her way through her belongings, though, she slowed down as if she were second guessing herself. With every garment that hit the bed, Mark's heart sank a little lower. Watching her belongings go made Mark realize that there was no turning back. She was leaving. They were done.

After Lexie finished with the clothes that were hanging, she walked over to the bureau. She opened the bottom drawer, the only one that was hers, and began taking out the contents. There wasn't much in it, just some underwear, socks, and some old T-Shirts, but she wanted everything gone. As she pulled everything out and threw it in the direction of the suitcase on the bed, she found a grey shirt. His grey shirt. She had "borrowed" it the night they had first slept together at the Archfield and she had never given it back. She wasn't even sure if he knew she had it even though she slept in it as often as she could. He probably assumed it was just some shirt. He probably had no idea that it was from their first night together.

Lexie pulled the shirt up to her nose and smelled it. Somehow, even though she had worn it for so long, it still smelled like him. She hated the thought of leaving it behind, but she had to make a clean break. She had to leave him behind.

Lexie opened one of the top drawers that belonged to Mark. She carefully folded the shirt and placed it in the drawer.

"Keep it."

Lexie turned and saw Mark standing in the doorway. He was still gloriously shirtless. It was difficult for Lexie not to run into his arms as he stood there.

"It's yours," she said.

"No. It became yours a long time ago."

"You knew?"

"That you stole my shirt from my hotel room?" He nodded. "I've loved watching you sleep in it ever since."

"It's still yours."

"Lexie…"

"I need to finish packing."

She shut the drawer and stood quietly for a minute. She knew she probably had more things throughout the apartment. Of course she had toiletries in the bathroom and kitchen paraphernalia in the kitchen, but she didn't really care about those things. She just needed the essentials and then she needed to leave. She couldn't stand to be in that apartment a minute longer.

As soon as he saw the bureau drawer close, Mark headed back into the kitchen. He couldn't watch her pack up her belongings. It was just too painful. He opened up the freezer and took out the bottle of vodka. He went to reach for a glass when he realized he didn't need a glass. He unscrewed the top of the bottle and took a long swig.

In the bedroom, Lexie looked at the bed. She had accomplished to get very few items actually in the suitcase. Most of them were strewn around the bed and on the floor. She bent to pick a pair of Jeans up off the floor when she remembered one more very important thing that she couldn't leave behind.

Going back to the closet, Lexie looked at the shelf at the top of the closet. She had only one box there, but it was an important box. It held her memories. Photos, trinkets, memorabilia, all things that reminded her of her childhood, her family, and her friends. It was an important box. Lexie stood on her tiptoes and stretched upward, trying to reach the box. Her fingertips touched the edge of the box and she pulled it forward slowly. As she pulled it to the edge, she pulled a little to hard and it fell off the shelf, hitting her in the face before falling on the floor and spilling its contents.

"Damn it!" Lexie shouted.

Mark heard the crash from the kitchen and went running towards her. It was pure instinct. He would always protect her no matter what happened. He found her on the floor, her hand covering her nose. He knelt in front of her, bringing his face close to hers.

"Let me see."

"I'm fine," Lexie assured him.

"Who's the plastic surgeon?"

Lexie pulled her hand away. Mark inspected her nose carefully.

"Well?"

He ran the tip of his finger lightly down her nose. "It's not broken." He should have removed his hand from her face, but instead he let his finger trail from her nose to her lips to her cheek. As his other fingers began to dance lightly against her skin, cupping her cheek, she pulled away.

"I need to finish getting my things."

Lexie began picking up the items that fell out of the box and shoving them back inside. She tried to ignore the fact that he was so close to her. He watched her for a minute before he began helping her pick up all the photos and mementos.

"You were cute," he commented.

"What?"

"When you were a kid. You were a cute kid," Mark said as he showed her a photo he had been looking at of her. She looked to be about three years old. She was sitting in a pile of fallen leaves with a huge smile on her face. "You're still cute."

Lexie took the photo from his hand and put it in the box. "You need to stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Making those…comments. It's not helping."

"Sorry."

Mark continued to pick up the last remaining things. He looked at each photo before putting them in the box. The last one he had in his hand was one of them. It was from the day they had all gone to play baseball. Someone had taken the picture on their cell phone. Lexie had the baseball helmet that was too big for her on her head and the bat in her hand. Mark's arm was around her waist and he was holding up a beer. Mark was about to open his mouth and comment on the picture when he decided against it. He placed the photo in the box with the others.

Lexie looked around on the floor, making sure they had picked up everything. As she reached for the cover of the box to place on top, she saw the photo. She stared it for a minute before picking it up.

"This was such a horrible day," Lexie stated.

"Horrible?"

"Don't you remember?"

"I remember kicking Derek's ass in baseball and then going home and getting very little sleep because we were a little…busy."

Lexie smiled at the memory. It had been a very good night.

"Don't you remember what happened during the day? We were all running around thinking we were being cut."

"Ah…the blood incident," Mark said, smiling.

"You promised you would never mention that."

"You're the one who brought it up."

"Still, you promised."

"Fine, I promise I'll never bring it up again." They both smiled at each other. "Can I confess something to you?"

"Of course," Lexie answered although she wasn't sure that she really wanted to hear his confession. Every moment in his apartment with him was pulling her deeper into what they used to have.

"That day was one of the scariest days of my life."

"Why? You're a brilliant plastic surgeon. You bring in more money to that hospital than anybody else. What did you have to be worried about?"

"You."

"What?"

"I thought if you left…if you had been cut…I wouldn't have made it."

"You would have been fine."

"No, no I wouldn't. Seeing you every day, being with you…was always the best part of my day. I couldn't imagine not seeing you. I can't imagine not seeing you."

"Well, you can still see me." She paused. "I know this is going to sound incredibly cliché, but we can still be friends, can't we?"

He scooted so he was sitting next to her and put his arm around her. She rested her head against the crook of his arm.

"Yeah, we can."

"Good." They sat together simply taking in each other's company like they had done so many times before. Lexie loved being so close to him, she loved being able to feel him next to her, she loved him. "Can I confess something to you?"

"Of course."

She let go of all of the arguments against why they should stay together. She let go of thinking about babies and families and the future and she let herself just feel.

"I can't sleep without you," she whispered. She picked up her head and looked at him.

"Oh Lexie."

"I wish things were different. I wish we wanted the same things. I wish…I wish we weren't so different in age. I wish…"

"Age is just a number," Mark said, remembering exactly what Derek had told him.

"What did you say?"

"I said age is just a number."

"Do you really mean that?"

"With all my heart."

She let the tears fall from her eyes. "I can't…"

"Don't think. Just feel. What do you want, Lexie?"

"I want…I want…" She couldn't say it. She knew what she wanted, but she couldn't say it. She had too much to work through in her mind. "I know I'm the one who kept pushing you away. I know I'm the one who said that we would never work. And I don't know what's going to happen in the future. I don't know if you can wait to have a baby or if I can give up what I want to have a baby for you. I don't know if we'll make it…"

"What do you want?" He repeated.

"I want you."

His lips were on hers in an instant. They couldn't get enough of each other as his hands tangled in her hair and her hands roamed his naked chest.

"I love you, Little Grey," he whispered into her ear. "And I promise you I'll tell you that every day."

"I love you," she replied.

"I'm sorry I chose her over you. I'm sorry I slept with…"

"Don't. Don't say it. We both made mistakes. We're both sorry. I don't want to think about what we did wrong and I don't want to think about the future. I want to think about now. I want to think about us, here, now."

"So...does that mean we can unpack your suitcase?"

"I had something else in mind," Lexie said playfully.

"I like how you think," he replied, kissing her passionately. "But the bed is a little…messy." He pointed to her open suitcase with all of her clothes thrown in and around it.

"There's still the couch," Lexie stated. "Unless you think your old bones can't handle it."

"Age is just a number, baby."

She cocked her eyebrow as Mark stood up. He held out his hand and she took it. Hauling her to her feet, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the couch.

Author's Note: So, I wrote this chapter very quickly. Once I started, I just couldn't stop. There were so many other little moments and scenes that I wanted to write into this chapter, but I'm happy with the results and I hope you are too. Thank you for letting me indulge myself with this story! And, don't worry, it's not over yet. I've been thinking about an epilogue so stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 5 Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Five Years Later

Lexie stepped through the door, shutting it quietly behind her. Dropping her purse and shrugging off her coat, she glanced into the living room, but didn't see them. She knew exactly where they would be.

Lexie made her way through the dark house and climbed the carpeted staircase, making sure not to make too much noise. When she reached the top of the stairs, she turned to her left and walked down the hallway. She could see the faint glow of a small light coming from the last room on the right. Lexie slowed as she approached the room. She smiled when she saw him. He was sitting with her back towards him, his head bent forward. She leaned against the doorframe and simply watched him.

"I know you're there," he whispered.

She smiled. She could never watch him like he watched her. He could stand behind her and watch her for an hour and she would never notice. He, on the other hand, always seemed to know she was there.

"How are we doing?" She asked, starting to tiptoe into the room.

"We," he answered, "are doing just fine."

Lexie walked around the rocking chair he was sitting in and kneeled down in front of him. A small bundle, wrapped in a pink cloth was in his arms.

"I forgot how beautiful she was," Lexie said quietly. She ran her fingertip over her daughter's cheek.

"Just like her mother," Mark commented. Lexie leaned over the baby and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"How long as she been asleep?"

"About twenty minutes," Mark answered, staring down at his gorgeous baby girl. He never knew he could love someone so much. He fell in love with her the moment Lexie had burst into the on call room he had been sleeping in to tell her she was pregnant. His love only grew the moment he had delivered her and saw her face for the first time.

"You know we agreed she needs to start sleeping more in her cradle," Lexie said.

"But she likes sleeping here," Mark said, meaning his arms.

"I know, but we don't want to start any bad habits, do we?"

Mark knew she was right. The baby had to get used to sleeping in her cradle and not in one of their arms, but it was so hard to give her up. Having a sleeping baby in his arms was one of the best feelings Mark had ever felt.

"I guess we know who's going to be the disciplinarian in this family," Mark said.

Lexie smiled. "And we know who's going to be the softy."

"Meanie," Mark joked.

"Cradle. Now."

Mark sighed and looked down at this sleeping daughter. He knew Lexie was right. He should put her down. And besides, as much as he loved his daughter, he hadn't seen in Lexie in a good ten hours and he was ready to give her a proper welcome.

Lexie stood up as Mark scooted to the edge of the rocker. He stood up slowly, being careful not to jostle the baby. As he was about to walk out of the room, Lexie put her hand on his arm.

"I'd like to hold my daughter."

"I thought she needed to be in her cradle," Mark teased.

Lexie rolled her eyes as Mark skillfully transferred the baby from his arms to hers. Lexie cradled her in her arms against her chest. She folded the blanket down slightly so she could take a better look at her face.

"I can't get over how much she looks like you," Lexie commented.

"Well, if she looks like me and has your brains, this girl could take over the world."

Lexie playfully hit his arm.

"And what would be so wrong with her looking like me?"

"Nothing. Except for the fact that if she looked like you, she'd be so beautiful, we'd have to beat the boys off of her with a stick."

Lexie smiled. "Something tells me you'll be beating the boys off of her with a stick no matter what."

"She's not dating until she's thirty. Make that forty."

"You're just afraid she'll meet a boy like you."

Mark snorted. "It's not her being like me that I'm worried about. Need I remind you that you're the one who came waltzing into my hotel room repeating 'teach me' over and over again."

"That was the best decision I ever made," she said.

"I'll second that," he replied, leaning in for a kiss.

The baby wriggled in Lexie's arms before settling down again. Lexie focused her eyes on her beautiful baby. She still couldn't believe that she and Mark had created something so beautiful.

Mark watched Lexie hold their baby. Just as his heart had grown when he saw his daughter for the first time, it had grown insurmountably when he saw Lexie hold her for the first time. She was an incredible mother.

"She is perfect, isn't she?"

Mark nodded. He put his arm around Lexie and kissed her hair. They both couldn't take their eyes off their little girl.

"Come on, let's put her to bed."

Mark leaned over and turned off the small lamp next to the rocking chair. He put his arm around Lexie and they walked down the hall together and entered their master bedroom. The cradle was right next to the bed. Lexie carefully placed the swaddled baby into the cradle. She leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"I love you," she whispered.

Mark bent over and kissed her as well. "Love you, baby girl."

Lexie walked over to the bedside table and switched on the baby monitor. As Mark took one last look at his daughter, Lexie reached for his hand. They walked out of the room and went down the stairs.

"Are you hungry?" Mark asked, turning on the baby monitor in the kitchen so that they could hear her if she cried.

"I'm too tired to be hungry," Lexie stated as she flopped down on the living room couch. Mark made his way over to her and sat down on the opposite end. Lexie kicked off her shoes and rested her feet on his lap. Mark took off her socks and began massaging her feet. "Mmm…that feels good."

"Tough day?"

"Who knew going back to work would be so hard."

"It was your first day back. It'll get easier."

"I missed her so much."

"That'll get easier, too."

"I hope so. I missed you, too. It was so…different not seeing you there. I missed being able to talk to you or even just see you."

"Or grab a quickie in the on-call room?" He asked, as he continued to rub her feet.

"That was always a welcome distraction to the day," she replied.

"Well, any time you want to come home for a quickie, I'll gladly accept."

"I'm sure you would."

"Well, besides the fact that you missed me and our baby, was everyone happy to see you?"

"Oh yeah," Lexie replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "The first thing Bailey did when she saw me was tell me that I had a lot of work to catch up on. Meredith and Derek bought me a welcome back cake, but were too busy with the six traumas we had come in, all of which needed surgery, to eat it with me. Callie was too busy asking about you and Arizona was too busy asking about the baby to care about me. And Christina, forget it. She started the day by asking, 'how's the kid?' and pretty much ignored me the rest of the day."

Mark laughed. "Seattle Grace at its finest."

"They all want to know when you're coming back."

"Did you tell them that I'm a stay at home dad now?"

"They think we're joking."

"Why?"

"Well, according to Christina, no surgeon can give up surgery."

"That's because Christina's never had a reason to give up surgery. I have a reason."

"Are you really ok with this? With being a stay at home dad, I mean?"

"Lexie, we've talked about this."

"I know. I just want to make sure you're happy."

"I'm happy." He stopped massaging her feet and scooted next to her. He lifted her onto his lap and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I am more than happy. I never imagined I could be this happy." Lexie wouldn't meet his eyes. "What?"

"Nothing."

"I know you too well to know that it's not nothing. What?"

"I don't want you to regret your decision to stay home. I don't ever want you to resent me for making you stay home."

"Look at me," Mark said, tilting her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. "First of all, I will never resent you. Second of all, I volunteered to stay home, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"I lived my dream. I was an exceptional surgeon and I will be again. I'm not giving up, surgery, Lexie. I'm just…putting it on a hold for a while because my dream, my dream has changed. My dream now is to be a good husband and an amazing father. That's all I care about. Being married to you, having a little girl…Lexie, it's more than I ever dreamed. Now it's your turn. It's your turn to follow your dreams, to be the exceptional surgeon we both know you are and to be an amazing mother."

"Thank you for being you," she whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

He kissed her lightly, letting their lips fall into the comfort of over five years of love, joy, sweat, and tears. Their relationship hadn't always been perfect, but they both had everything they ever wanted. Lexie pushed against his chest and fell on top of him giggling. Their kisses grew in intensity as Mark pulled her hair out of the ponytail it was in. Lexie's hand reached for the waistband of his pants when they heard the quiet cry of their baby. Lexie collapsed on top of Mark, laughing.

"I'll get her," Mark stated.

"You've been with her all day," Lexie replied. "I'll get her."

"You've been working all day. You rest. I'll be right back." Lexie pushed herself off of him and sat back against the couch. Mark leaned in for one more kiss before standing and disappearing out of the room. Lexie propped her feet up on the coffee table and leaned against the armrest. She closed her eyes, letting the events of the day sink in. She knew it was going to be difficult. It was difficult to leave her baby and the man she loved every day, but she knew it was worth it. Surgery was a part of who she was and she wasn't ready to give that up. It would be difficult, but she and Mark would make it through.

Upstairs, Mark picked up his daughter and cradled her in his arms. The moment she was snuggled against him, she was quiet. Her eyes began to droop and, as Mark rocked her in his arms, she fell back asleep. Mark knew that he should probably put her back down so that she could get used to sleeping with the cradle, but he wasn't quite ready to let her go. Mark carried her carefully down the hall and down the stairs. When he walked into the living room, he saw Lexie asleep on the couch. He smiled. He walked over to the couch and sat down beside her. It was the perfect moment. Having his baby girl in his arms and the woman he loved next to him.

"Your mommy's tired," he whispered, being careful not to wake either of his girls. "She works very hard. She's an amazing surgeon. I'm in awe of her every day." He looked over at Lexie and smiled. He put his arm around Lexie's shoulder and pulled her towards him. Closing his own eyes, the three of them fell asleep in perfect happiness.

Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed my story. Writing this story was really a therapeutic journey since I've been so disappointed with the show recently. I had fun writing the scenes with the baby because I recently became an aunt and I have to say that having a baby fall asleep in your arms is one of the best feelings in the world. And I intentionally left out the baby's name to keep everyone guessing. Again, thank you for reading and I'm sure this won't be the last Grey's Anatomy story I write!


End file.
